Okay, it's late and this is unrehearsed, so apologies in advance for it being not particularly eloquent... but congratulations to the winners of tonight's hotly contested elections (Gal, Membership Director, Susan, Treasurer, and Neile, President), to their worthy opponents Timothy, Barry, and Gerry, to new Board members Gwynna, Brian, and Sabina, and to returning Board members Jeff, Israel, John, Kate, Skip, Manuel, Ellen, and Eden. Extra special thanks to George and his team for running the election fairly, squarely, and sans drama/dangling chads.

I hope I can be the first to congratulate Neile Weissman on his election to the presidency of our club. I have come to know Neile during this election period and know that he will be an excellent president. The task that falls to the rest of us is to do everything we can to make his term and consequently our club a success.

Jerry Ross

The probability of rain at 6:00 AM is 90% and snow is predicted as well. I am cancelling the Morning Laps Around Central Park tomorrow morning (Nov. 12).

Mine Rd was closed on saturday: gate closed and locked, "no cycling" signs on either side of the gate.  I have travelled this road many times with no issues, so I was a bit surprised to see it shut down.  Does anyone know if this closure is permanant / temporary?

Along with their coffee shop annex. Links:

http://instagram.com/p/geLQalLY5F/

http://evgrieve.com/2013/11/continuum-coffee-has-closed-for-now.html

The shop is located right in the middle of an area that was underwater after Hurricane Sandy... apparently finances haven't worked out for them since then, and they'll have to give up their brick-and-mortar location for both businesses for now while they regroup. Apparently they are still taking service business and online bike orders.

Here's a short list of what I'd do as President.

- Support-oversee Club activities we all treasure; rides, special events, club meetings, Escape New York, the SIGs.

- Work with the Ride Coordinators to evaluate structure and incentives with the result being more-better rides.

- Leverage improved relations with regional rails to further diversify ride listings.

- Expand off-season social and networking opportunities with activities such as movie nights, wine tastings and snow day hikes.

- Maintain liaisons with advocates and public officials in order to manage near term events and effect long term goals.

With your support.

Neile Weissman

Vacation days aren't like roll over minutes. Use'em or lose'em. With that being said, I'm looking for some suggestions on a scenic bike trip (250-400 miles, terrain depending) over a 3-4 day period, looking for a warmer climate (think SF-LA or Big Bend National Park in Texas). Trying to get this together in the next 4-5 wks if possible. 

What's your dream trip?

no, not a joke.

Two Swedish students have developed a prototype and got it approved and patented. For those of you not fortunate enough to understand Swedish, this video has English subtitles.

http://vimeo.com/43038579#

And here is their website: http://www.hovding.com/en/ This new helmet is even CE marked which is the European Unions safety standard.

Now, of course, the question occurs as to where to attach dorky "CatEars"... http://www.cat-ears.com/

Unfortunately this discourages me from being willing to pay to see the film...

"Gibney, nevertheless, manages to make good use of the footage from his original project called "The Road Back," taking the viewer on his journey on the 2009 Tour de France, where he had unparalleled access to Armstrong, who in turn would earn a share of the film's profits. "

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/08/entertainment-us-lancearmstrong-idUSBRE9A70K120131108

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/opinion/sunday/is-it-ok-to-kill-cyclists.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=2&adxnnlx=1384109980-9NkOnsGNAsEeBuhsH0zTUQ

The piece is wayyyy too forgiving of the failure of the police to police and prosecutors to prosecute.